While Ma Chao was grieving, someone suddenly came to report that Han Sui and his daughter had arrived.
Ma Chao invited them in.
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Han Sui and Ma Teng were sworn brothers and had a deep relationship. Seeing Ma Teng's coffin, Han Sui also felt sad and his tears wet his clothes.
Ma Chao then told Han Sui his decision.
Han Sui hesitated and said, "After my daughter Han Qi came back from Yedu, she said that Yuan Xi was a magnanimous person and didn't seem like a vicious person. Did you make a mistake? "
Han Qi, who was at the side, nodded her head like a chicken pecking at rice.
Ma Chao knelt and said, "Uncle, if you are afraid of Yuan Xi's power and want to submit to Yuan Xi, please chop off my head and offer it to Yedu as a stepping stone!"
Han Sui hurriedly helped Ma Chao up and said, "Your father and I are brothers. You are just like my son. How can I do such a thing? "
Ma Chao got up and said, "Uncle, if you trust me, please come with me to Yedu."
Actually, it was no wonder that Ma Chao believed Jian Yong's words.
On one hand, Bai Xiaowen did have the 'motive' to murder Ma Teng.
To Bai Xiaowen, if he wanted to unify the world, he had to attack the south, and Western Liang was indeed a threat. Even if the Western Liang Army sent Ma Xiu as a 'hostage', it was only on the surface and didn't mean that they were actually surrendering. There was still the possibility of them falling out.
At this time, Ma Chao's reputation wasn't obvious. Most of the Western Liang Army's prestige in the central plains was on Ma Teng. Therefore, murdering Ma Teng and seizing the opportunity to take over Western Liang was a very normal thought process.
On the other hand, Jian Yong's' prediction 'had been verified.
It was just like fortune-telling. If the fortune-teller was right about one or two things, normal people would think that the fortune-teller was skilled and would believe most of what he said later.
Moreover, Jian Yong's prediction that something had happened to Ma Teng wasn't deliberately mystifying fortune-telling. It was the truth and reasonable prediction, so it was more believable.
Ma Chao wasn't a resourceful person and Jian Yong was very good at persuasion. Therefore, it wasn't strange for such a result to occur.
Han Sui was still hesitating.
Ma Chao frowned and said, "Think about that Yuan Xi. His age is about the same as mine, yet he was able to travel a thousand li to attack Xu Du. In the face of danger, he did not panic and annihilate Cao Cao. He held the Son of Heaven hostage and held the world's power.
"The Yuan family has just destroyed the Cao family and their vitality has been greatly damaged. Our Xiliang Army is incomparably elite. Now that we have seized Chang 'an, this is a heaven-sent opportunity! Uncle is well aware of my nephew's capabilities. As a man of character, he should replace Yuan Xi! "
Seeing Ma Chao's firm attitude, Han Sui could only nod in agreement.
Ma Chao then ordered Ma Xiu to carry the coffin back to Xiliang for burial. He and Han Sui gathered their troops and headed for Tong Pass!
…
At Tong Pass, the three armies of Western Liang were all dressed in white robes and white armor. Their flags were raised in great numbers, giving them an austere aura.
Cao Ren was standing on top of the city wall. Beside him stood a group of generals, including Qiao Rui and Li Shuyi.
In fact, Qiao Rui and Ma Xiu's mission was to check if there were any hidden Awakened in Tong Pass.
Of course, in Cao Ren's eyes, it was a bit like the Son of Heaven supervising the army. Therefore, he did not treat Qiao Rui and Ma Xiu well.
The Xiliang Army was quarreling outside the city wall.
Cao Ren said, "If we don't even fight and just defend the city, our morale will be affected and the Xiliang Army will look down on the heroes of the Central Plains. Moreover, the Xiliang Army has come from afar and their camp has not been set up yet. We should fight and destroy their prestige! "
When Li Shuyi heard this, he thought, 'Oh, it's over.'
Now, Ma Chao had a vengeance buff. In the first battle, Cao Cao had been defeated because he underestimated his enemy. No matter how strong Cao Ren was, could he be stronger than Cao Cao?
However, Li Shuyi did not stop him. This was also a special order from Bai Xiaowen. Cao Ren was originally a surrendered general and was psychologically sensitive. If Qiao Rui and Li Shuyi continued to criticize his decision, it would inevitably cause a rift to widen.
After Cao Ren opened the gate to meet the enemy, Qiao Rui ordered all the archers to be on guard on top of the city wall.
Ma Chao was born with a pink face, red lips, thin waist and broad shoulders, and a strong voice. He wore a white robe and silver armor and held a long spear in his hand. He pointed at Cao Ren and scolded, "General, tell me your name. My spear will not kill a nameless ghost!"
Cao Ren shouted, "Who will capture Ma Chao with me?"
One of the generals rushed out. It was the brave general Niu Jin. He held a big sword and faced Ma Chao.
In history, Niu Jin was also a fierce general. Unfortunately, his fame was not high. In the Three Kingdoms, his strength was not strong. He was a pure strength general and his agility was very low.
Ma Chao saw the weakness of Niu Jin's slow movement. After taking the spear head-on, the second spear went for the throat like lightning.
Niu Jin quickly lowered his head and his helmet was knocked off by Ma Chao. He lost in two rounds.
Ma Chao shouted, "Don't you dare run!" He gave chase. Just as Ma Chao was about to catch up, another of Cao Ren's subordinates charged forward. It was Zhu Ling, a subordinate of Cao Ren's, and he wielded a saber to block Ma Chao's path.
Ma Chao used all his strength and stabbed Zhu Ling down. The morale of Cao Ren's soldiers was greatly reduced. Ma Chao waved his spear and the Xiliang army charged forward.
Cao Ren finally knew how strong Ma Chao was and quickly ordered the soldiers to return to the pass.
He ordered the soldiers to retreat while he rode in front to guard the gate. He was the last to enter the pass.
Luckily, the archers on top of the city wall were already prepared. Thousands of arrows were fired. As cavalry, the Xiliang army did not set up a camp or carry siege weapons. It was not easy for them to attack the city and they could only retreat.
After Cao Ren returned to the pass, he heard that the lord's trusted subordinate, Qiao Rui, had prepared the archers. He cupped his hands and thanked him, "If it wasn't for General Qiao, we would have lost Tong Pass!"
Qiao Rui did not take credit for himself and said gently, "General, you have the heavy responsibility of guarding the pass. I'm just trying my best to help. To defend the pass, I need you to plan the entire situation. "
Cao Ren took a deep breath and nodded, "I won't let you down!"
He then ordered, "Most of the elites of the Xiliang army are cavalry. It won't be easy to attack the city. Tong Pass is a strategic location. We only need to fortify the pass and avoid the battle. "
Cao Ren then said to Qiao Rui, "We need to write a letter to the lord as soon as possible and ask for reinforcements."
Qiao Rui said, "We have already reported to the lord. In a few days, the lord will bring his troops over. "
Cao Ren's heart relaxed and he went to inspect the city's defenses.
…
Bai Xiaowen, who was far away in Yedu, received a letter from the Raven Messenger. He smiled and said to Cecilia, "The Raven Messenger of the God's Court is really convenient and fast. Ma Chao gathered his troops and attacked Tong Pass for only two hours and I already received an urgent report. "
Bai Xiaowen then charged Raven Messenger with Psionic Points, wrote a reply letter, put it back, and ordered a meeting to be held.
The civil and military officials of the Great Sima Manor were all present. Compared to before, the civil officials had added Xun You and the others. As for the military, there were more generals like Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Yu Jin, and Yue Jin. Together with the original generals of the Yuan family, they were all present.
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